Vehicle propelled by steppers



Nov. 13, 1928.

A. EHRLICH VEHICLE PROPELLED BY STEPPERS Filed April 8, 1925 Fiyi.

.rear bear Patented Nov. 13, 1928.5

' Unirse STATES HADOLF EHRLICH, .or BUDAPEST? 'noNGAn-Y.

VEHICLE rnornnnnn BY s'rnrrnns.

inppncason filed Aprire, 192e. seriarNo. :1011,725.

My invention relates to vehicles advancing by iiieans oil three-linihed artiicial legs,` by means o't-ivhich it is possible to lconvey a load suspended ther "oni VWhicl is much larger in comparison '1. ith the` weight thereof. i y

v A further advant ,cording'- to the inventori thereintha it ca-n'also travel on a yery steep track `and the construction `of the snrtaceis of `no iinportance. The machine can therefore be used onfnneven hard and also on sinking sott gronnch :tor exemple sand, snovvT or damp clay soil for drawing; loadsench asplows and other agriculturalappliances. The separate characteristic features ot the invention will appear from the 'following detailed description inWhich is described one example of construction with reference to the accolnpanying` drawing. i y

Figure 1 is a side elevation el the haul'- ing machine partly in section, y

"Figure 2 is a plan thereof,

lliegnres and leach show a side elevation of a earn disc for actuating* the artificial legs,

llig'nrem is a cross section on theline. Afl oiflfignre 1.

` Un the ot the machine acnder traine 1 is mounted aninternal combustion engine .1 hyivhich the sha lit Q mounted under the 'l-aine 1 is driven. The shaft 2 car Aes atoothed Wheel from which the separate parte 01"' the driving mechanism are driven. t the rearpart of the 11n r freine 1 is provided an auxiliary 'traine l to which is secured a casing; In the middle el the two, longitudinal sides 6, G and the' middle bar 6^ of the casing; y5 there are liowned bearings 7 in which is mounted a tionary transverse shaft 7. The front and rear halt of the casing; each form a cese 5 'For the eeeption of the; lower half ot the cani discs 12"; and 15. In the bottoni 10 et the resine; 5. there are provided hei tween the cases ik, irallel longitudinal slots 1() throne'h whim. are rpassed ihn rodsS" and 5. forming' theartlicial legs i liver the. liront case 5 there is mounted in he fines 11 ashaft 12 to which is keyed a cli-in disc 1-5. The shaft 14 rotrdingvv in the i .14 carries a larger canrdisc 15. On oneeno ot the shafts 124a11d 111 there are keyed cranks 16 andw16 of equal length cons nected together by a .drivingrod 17. The

' 12 carries achain other end ol' the shalt Wheel .19 which kmay be driven by a chain 18 troinljhe cl1a1n-wheel3.201? the shaft 2,

'that during v tion 'l 1 relatively displacec by 1800.

On rthe shaft 7 therefare mountedvrotatably as nearya'sr possible .together and extendingr through the longitudinal slots `1O,"rods 8. 8 which i'orni Lthe rimasi-leg portions of the .artificial legs. These "can swing .freely backwardsandforwards LThe method of swinging `is `determined hy .l the vparticular shepe o; thevnrooves 20220 formed on/the tivo. side surfaces 01;' the larger disc 15, .with which' the leg portions 8 8; engage by means driying'rods 23,23` Thetdriving rods are] hingedly connected to rthe .cor-

jrezending legl portions 8, 8. y

The lgroove 20520 consists ot two .diss

"similar large sections of which one extends throngl '(12 0;? the `other through 941-00.` On hothsd `ofthedisc there engages with the eorresponding grooves 20,20 rollers 2l, 2l carried hy pivots" 22, 22. on the driving rode 23,23. The freeends of the link rods l largcd par "..fprovided With a recess 52 in 'Which'is loca-ted a roller 940i the shaft 14.

n lli thedisc 15 is rotated uniformly inthe direction of the arrow thev driving' rods 23 and QS are moved alternately in the direction ottheirv longitudinal axis Wherebythe upper lee:` portions 8 and 8are.swirlsr alter- `initeiy forwardly .and backwardly. ByL rea` son or theparticularshape of thegrooves 20, Jthe swing-ing of the upper leg portions forwardly and haekivardlyis affected atfa uniform speed, `Whilst the, upper. leg portions 8, Sswing twice as far. forwardlyfroni the vertical position? as backwardly. Ther swinging n'iovementlliroin the rearniost position tothe foremost..position'as also from h `e rearwardly during thelirst third ol the distance takes place at twice the speed to he last tivo thirds` ol thefdishis Ln'ianner onenpperly portion tance... `In l .Carries ont the Whole ot its forward 4movenient `and the irst'ithirdfof .its yrearward moreinent. whilst the other upper leg nor- ,reason ol they fact that the two similarly shapedy grooves 20s- 20 ofthe disc 15 are p The small cam disc 13 serves tov bend and stretch the lower legrportions and 25 hin gedly oonnectedto the upper legportions Sand 8"; Onfthe twojside surfaces of the disc 13 are provided twofsimilar `grooves 21S-and 26 which are relatively displaced'by '180?, With these grooves ,engage rollersfl u es ont thelast' two thirds ol its rearwerd iniovenient. V`This 1s` obtained by 23, 23. are enlarged and' in theqeni and 21 respectively mounted on pivots 23 and 28 projecting at right angles from the inclined driving rods 27 and27. -The en-KL larged `ends 53 and 53 of the driving rods f 27, 27 embrace rollers 24, 24 mounted on the shaft 12. The other ends of the driving rods 27 and 27 are hinged to the upper points of bell crank levers 29, 29 rotatably mounted in projections 30, 30 -of the upper leg portions 8, 8 adjacent the upper ends of the leg portions. The front points of the bell crank levers 29, 29 are connected to the upper'ends of the rodsy 32 and 32. The rods 32 and 32 are hinged at the lower cnds'to'extensions 31, 3lrof the lower leg portions 25, 25. lVith a uniform rotation of the disc 13 thedrivingrods27, y27 are moved alternately forwards and backwards -whereby the bellcrank levers 29 andv29 alternately move the rods 32 and 32 connected thereto, upwardly and downwardly. In this manner the lower leg portions 25 and 25v in relation tothe correspondingl upper leg portions 8 and 8 are at predetermined intervals of time, bent, then vstretched or held stretched. By reason of the shape of the grooves 26 and 26, illustrated, one lower leg portion 25 is stretched in relation to the corresponding upper legportion 3 vwhilst this upper leg portion is passing through the last two thirds of 'its rearward movement, that isto say whilst the foot end of the stretched leg is resting on the ground and the shaft 7 rigidly connected to the vehicle body 1 together with the load attached thereto moves forwardly over the ground. Towards the end of the rearward movement `of the upper leg portion thelower leg portion 25 is again bent and during the whole time of the forward movement thereof is kept `bent and in this .manner holds the foot portion raised from the track as illus-V tratedin Figure l connection with the rods 8 and 25. The stretching only takes place during the first third of the rearward movement of the upper leg portions 3, 8', whilst the lower leg portions 25, 25 comes into the vertical position at the time the Aupper leg portion is in the foremost position.

The foot portion in 33, 33, is also hinged to the lower end of the lower leg portion 25,

25. The bending and stretching of these.

feet portions in relation to the correspondf mg lower leg portion is effect-ed by link rods 34, 34 which at the top are hinged to ak projection'35, 35 of the upper legportions 3, 8 and at the bottomto the heel end of the corresponding foot portion. By means of the said link rods and by reason of the connection used the foot, in relation to the c Orresponding lower ,leg portion in the stretched position of the leg is held stretched but bent inrelation to the lower leg portion when this is bent in relation to ythe lupper leg portion. The foot portion of the unloaded leg moving forwardlyin the bent position is thereby raised still further from the ground andthus uninterrupted operation is still more ensured in uneven rand sinking ground. The yunobstructed movement is also rendered possible by reason of the fact that in consequence of the shape ofthe groovesr26 ofv the disc 13 the foot portion is valways placed vertically on Athe ground and is raised vertically therefrom.

VThe parts of` the grooves 20, 26 which produce the simultaneous movements of the upper leg portions v3, 3 in relation to the shaft 7 fand of the lower leg portions 25, 25"

in relation to the corresponding upper leg portions are indicated at'theperiphery of the discs 13 and 15 by the same numerals. The two cam discs'are connected to the corresponding driving and actuating means `in such a manner that both driving rods actuating the same leg always engage simultaneously with such portions of the respective grooves which on the circumference of both discs in the radial line are marked-with equal numerals which indicates that the movements dependent upon one another'are taking'place correctly.

The rods 36, 36 areco-nnected at both sides, as high and forwardly as possible in lrelationto the shaft 7, to the casing' 5. The

on supports 39, 39 an auxiliary shaft lOon which wheels Zl1 may be fitted. i

If the front steering wheels are replaced by small sledges a draft sledge is obtained. Theopera'tion of the machine is produced in; that the driving rod 23 alters the angle lformed between the stretched artificial leg to the horizontal, rlhe alteration is produced when the front half of the machine is of suliicient weight either when the shaft 7 togetherwith theat'tached load gets forward over.4 the ground or when the foot portion of theleg slides backwardly on the ground.

As the distance between the points ofengagement of the driving rod 23, 23 from the shaft 7 in the form of construction illustrated is aboutl an eight of the distance of the 'foot endjof the stretched leg from the shaft 7, the resistance occurringk at the shaft 7 may be eight times larger than the adhesion resistance at the footend before slipping of the foot endv 33, 33 fon the ground occurs. From thisis` explained the great draft capacity of the artificial leg in relation to the known driving wheels. On steep tracks the componenty of gravity parallel to the track ion behaves similar to the resistance to the suspended load. Both resistances are overcome more easily by the motive force of the artificial legs lthan by driving wheels. Y

The machine can also travel rearwardly if the two cam discs 13 and 26 are rotated inv the reverse direction. Both legs then swing a motor, a casing, drive shafts at the front and rear ends of the casing, means for driving said shafts from the motor, vcams on said shafts, a nondriven shaft intermediate saidV first shafts, jointed legs hingedly mounted onsaid second shaft, a bell crank on the upper part of each leo', means operatively connecting one arm of the bell crankfwith the lower part of the leg,means operatively connecting the other arniof' the bell crank with said front cam, and means operatively connecting the said rear cam with-the upper part of said leg.

2. In a drive rmeans for motor vehicle, a casing, drive shafts at the `front and rear ends of the casing, groove disks on said drive shafts, means for rotating said shafts with equal frequency, a nondriven shaft inter-l mediate said rst mentioned shafts, three limbedjointed legs, each comprising` an upper leg part, alower leg part, and a movable foot portion, hingedly mounted on said second shaft, a bell crank pivoted on the front side of said upper leg part, an inclined driving rod operatively connecting the front j groove disk with the upper point of said bell crank, and a solid link rod connecting the lower point of the bell crank withfan extension on the top of the lower 'leg part,

a driving rod operatively connecting the rear groove disk with the upper leg part, a4

spur on the rear side of said' upper leg part adjacent to its lower end, a movable foot portion linked tothe lower leg part, a solid -link rod parallel to sa-id lower legpart hingedly connecting the spur on the upper leg part with the heel end of said movable foot portion.

3. In a drive means for a motorvehicle, a motor, a casing, driveshafts at the front and rear ends of the casing, means for driving said shafts from the motor with equal fre uenc f 'roove disks on saiddrive shafts j a nondriven shaft intermediate said first Shafts, jointed legs hing'edly mounted *on said second shaft, a bell crank on the upper part of each leg, a solid rod connecting `one arm .of the bell crank with the lower part of the leg, means operatively connecting the other armof the bell crank with the front groove disk, a. driving rodv operatively con-r necting therear groove disk with the upper leg part adjacent toits' top end, the arrangement owing to the peculiarfshape of the groove formed on the rear` disk being such `as to swing the upper leg part from its temporary vertical position at about twice the angular distance forwardly than back-k wardly, and Lthat one upper leg part performsits entire forward `swinging and the first third of its rearward swinging while" the other upper leg part performs the two` latter thirds of its backward swinging.

- 4. In a drive4 means f-or a motor vehicle,a motor, a casing, drive shafts at the front and rear ends of thecasing, groove disks on said drive shafts, and means for driving said shafts with equal frequenc a nondriven shaft intermediate said shafts, jointed legs hingedly mounted on said nondriven shaft, a kdriving rod operatively connecting the rear groove disk with the upper leg part adjacent to its ktop end, afbell crank on the upper part of each leg, a solid rod connecting one arm of the bellcrank with the lower part of the leg, means operatively connecting the other arm of the bell crank with the front groove disk, the arrangement owing to the peculiar shape kof the groove formed on the front disk being suoli that the foot end of the striding leg is always placed vertically on the ground and lis raised vertically therefrom. j

5, vIn a drive means for aniotor vehicle, a motor, ka casing, drive shafts at the front and rear ends of the lcasingmeans fordriving said shafts from the motor with equal frequency, groove disksfon said drive shafts, a. `nondriven shaft intermediate said lfirst shafts, jointed legs hingedly mounted on ieo part of each leg, a solid rodconneeting one arm of the bell crank withthe lower part of` Vthe leg, means operatively connecting the other arm ofthe bellcrank with the front groove disk, 4adriving rod koperatively connecting the' rear gro-ove disk with the upper leg part, the control of the right cooperation` ofthe frontand the rear groovedisk beingl rendered possible thereby y,that the portions of thedilferent grooves having to produce coordinated, i. e.l simultaneous, movements of the lower and upper leg part respectively.

`Iirtestimoiiy whereof I have signed my name to this specification this 24th day of March, 1926. s 4 j i ADOLF EHRLICH. 

